


To New Beginnings

by Treon



Category: White Collar
Genre: Episode: s05e02 Out of the Frying Pan, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-29
Updated: 2013-10-29
Packaged: 2017-12-30 21:13:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1023450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Treon/pseuds/Treon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tag to 5x02.  Agent Siegel drops by Neal's place.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To New Beginnings

"I have a feeling," Neal said, "it's just the beginning."  
  
The moment was interrupted by a knock on the door. Both Neal and Mozzie turned around.  
  
"The Suit?" Moz ventured a guess.  
  
"Maybe." Neal shrugged. Peter hadn't shown up since the day he'd told Neal he was bringing in a new handler. But he was still the same old Peter, and Neal assumed he'd be around sooner or later.  
  
Another knock. "Neal?"  
  
It wasn't Peter, it was Siegel. Neal turned to Mozzie. "That's my handler. He can't see you here."  
  
Mozzie didn't need convincing. Siegel could ID him as Winters. And the agent had a tendency to draw his gun first and ask questions later. Not a person Moz ever wanted to meet again.  
  
"Come." Neal pulled him inside, and pointed with his cigar towards the smallish back room. "In there."  
  
Siegel wasn't too patient. "Neal! Open up!"  
  
"Coming!" Neal called out. He raised his cigar at Moz, a quick signal to put his out. Siegel would get suspicious if he'd notice the smoke in there. Neal gave his apartment one final look-see, making sure nothing looked amiss before he opened the door. He was just sitting at home, unwinding after a hard day, like any other innocent CI. "Hey. I didn't hear you, I was outside," he waved a hand towards his patio.  
  
"Hi." Siegel had a fist up, about to bang on the door again. He dropped his hand. "I know it's late, but I thought we could go over.." He trailed off, his eyes narrowing as he took in the cigar in Caffrey's hand. His CI was celebrating.  They had just lost a case and his CI was celebrating.  
  
Neal followed his gaze. "You heard the news? Diana had a baby tonight."  
  
"Berrigan."  
  
"Yeah. A boy." Neal grinned.  
  
Siegel considered his CI for a moment. He'd heard the New York crew were close, but he didn't realize that included their CI as well.  
  
"Reason for celebration, right?" Neal figured that would fit in with Siegel's view of him. He moved aside to offer entrance, "Come on in."  
  
Siegel did so, but stopped a just a few steps in, a low whistle escaping his lips. "You've got a sweet place here."  
  
Neal lifted his hands in a 'what can I do?' gesture.  
  
"All this on the Bureau's dime?"  
  
"It's cheaper than it looks."  
  
"Uh." Siegel assumed Peter knew about this, but he figured he'll have to ask his boss how this came about. Somebody was getting conned.  
  
Neal stabbed out his cigar. He'll have to continue later. "Can I offer you anything to drink. Beer, wine.. ?" He still didn't have a handle on this one.  
  
"Maybe coffee."  
  
"Right." Neal got busy filling up the kettle, keeping an eye on Siegel as he did so. The agent was giving himself a tour of the place, stopping every few steps to take a closer look. Neal did not want him poking around too much. "So.. you said you wanted to go over something? There's a new case?"  
  
Siegel looked up, and thankfully moved back towards the kitchenette area. He pulled out a chair. "I keep thinking about Teddy Winters." He had stopped at Caffrey's place on an impulse, hoping to get his CI's feedback on the case. Maybe the guy would be a little more forthcoming in an informal setting.  
  
"Winters?" Neal kept his voice even. He had hoped the agent had dropped the case. It wouldn't be good if he'd continue digging.  
  
But Siegel wasn't in an investigative mood, he was in an introspective one. "Your first case with Burke, you brought down the Dutchman. My first case.. well, I screwed up." He appreciated the fact that Burke hadn't sent him packing, and was even willing to put the blame on his former CI, but it was still not an auspicious beginning.  
  
Neal nodded thoughtfully. Thanks to his work today, Siegel was beating himself up for losing his first case, and Peter will soon discover  _his_  first case and one of his biggest catches will walk free. He hated letting Peter down like that and wished things could be different, he really did, but what choice did he have? Friends came first. Both Peter and Mozzie still had their freedom, and a little Federal disappointment was a small price to pay for that.  
  
The FBI agent was busy with his own thoughts. "I keep on thinking, what I could have done differently."  
  
"Not much that I can see."  
  
Siegel glanced over at Neal. "Look, I realize starting off with a new handler isn't easy. But you play straight with me, and I'll play straight with you."  
  
"Of course." Neal smiled disarmingly. "I wouldn't play it any other way." He brought two mugs of coffee over, placing one before Siegel.  
  
His new handler didn't bother responding to that. Caffrey would only play straight if it suited him. "What do you think about how things went?"  
  
"Well.. I realize it's not the best outcome, but you got Winters off the streets." Neal sat down at the head of the table, across from the trick mirror where he figured Mozzie was probably standing, observing them. "You're going to break down his little empire."  
  
Siegel sighed. It wasn't enough. "Next case - we need a win, Neal."  
  
"And we'll get it." Neal raised the mug to his lips. He needed a good working relationship with this handler. One in which the handler wasn't always double checking on him. He wasn't certain this wasn't exactly what Siegel was doing now.  
  
The agent just ummed into his coffee.  
  
"My last case with Peter was also a bust," Neal offered after a short moment.  
  
"Really?"  
  
Neal nodded. "Guy disappeared with a loot of gold coins. We might still get him once he dips into his loot, but until then.."  
  
"Until then it's a cold case," Siegel supplied. He just hoped Caffrey wasn't on a losing streak. He had come to New York intending to move up in the Bureau. He might have been playing to the conman's vanity, but Caffrey  _had_  gotten a reputation as an asset, and had helped push up Burke's closure rates. If he didn't manage the same rates, he'll be the one blamed for it.  
  
"Come on.." Neal smiled. "You focus on your loses, it becomes a cycle. Besides, tonight's a night to celebrate."  
  
"..Because Berrigan gave birth?" Siegel still didn't get why Caffrey would be so personally connected to the agents he was working with.  
  
"Yeah." Neal raised his mug in salute. "To new beginnings."  
  
Siegel raised his mug as well.  Maybe Caffrey was right. Winters was gone. He should focus on closing his next cases, not wallowing in his failures. "To new beginnings."


End file.
